At the end of this month, the one-year energy-saving subsidy policy for household appliances will expire. According to the latest statement from the Ministry of Commerce, there may be no related continuation policy after the expiration of this policy. Therefore, home appliance brands, chain stores, and consumers are rushing to catch the last train of policies. Currently, some stores in Beijing have exceeded the May Day Golden Week in terms of customer traffic, and it is expected that there will be a wave of home appliance sales boom at the end of the month.

　　The Ministry of Commerce has stated that there are currently no new plans

　　On May 16, 2012, the State Council decided to arrange a financial subsidy of 26.5 billion yuan to promote five categories of products that meet energy-saving standards, including air conditioners, flat screen TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, and water heaters. The subsidy period is from June 1 of that year to May 31 of this year. According to the subsidy regulations, the maximum subsidy amount for air conditioners, flat screen TVs, and refrigerators that meet energy-saving standards is 400 yuan per unit, 260 yuan per unit for washing machines, 550 yuan per unit for solar water heaters, and 600 yuan per unit for air source water heaters.

　　According to statistics from market research firm Yikang, the implementation of energy-saving subsidy policies for household appliances in the past year has driven the sales of over 32.7 million high-efficiency and energy-saving household appliances, driving consumer demand to over 115.4 billion yuan.

　　However, as the policy is nearing expiration, it is highly likely that there will be no relevant extension policy. Last Thursday, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce, Shen Danyang, stated that the Ministry of Commerce has been studying the issue of the expiration of the home appliance subsidy policy with the Ministry of Finance, the industrial sector, and relevant departments, and there is currently no new plan.

　　Hurry up to catch the last bus, manufacturers and sales outlets will join forces

　　Before the end of the policy, home appliance manufacturers and stores launched their last wave of promotional campaigns. Suning, Gome, Dazhong and other home appliance chain stores in the Beijing market, along with manufacturers such as Hisense, Haier, Changhong and Midea, have recently jointly launched a promotion method of "national subsidy+manufacturer subsidy" dual energy-saving subsidy, hoping to create a wave of home appliance sales frenzy in the half month before the policy expires.

　　According to sources from Suning in Beijing, the number of consumers coming to buy home appliances has increased since last week, and some stores have even exceeded the May Day Golden Week in terms of customer traffic. Correspondingly, the number of consumers who go to home appliance chain stores to apply for energy-saving subsidies has also begun to increase. Currently, Suning, Gome, and Dazhong in Beijing are all requesting their respective stores to set up counters and staff to handle energy-saving subsidies, in order to cope with the peak of processing at the end of the month.

　　Industry insiders remind consumers that the national energy-saving subsidy will end on May 31st. All consumers who purchase energy-saving products before the end of this month must go to the store before June 10th and apply for the subsidy with relevant materials such as energy-saving product serial number barcode, invoice, and ID card. Please try to apply in advance to avoid peak processing times.